Somehow, Gokudera isn't too sure how, he's become friends with the baseball-playing idiot over the time he's known him. Somehow, Yamamoto while still an annoyance and a threat to his position, is grudgingly accepted by the half-Italian boy.

The explosives expert, skipping math (he knows it already) and lying on the roof top, chews an explosive and decides the being friends with Yamamoto is not good.

Being friends with Yamamoto means that while girls still think he's a bad boy, he has a heart of gold underneath it all. Being friends with Yamamoto means that he has to go to baseball games and even if he's Yamamoto's friend, he's not allowed to rig the other's teams equipment with explosives. Being Yamamoto's friend means that he only half-heartedly tries to make his locker, pants, and home explode.

But, Gokudera muses lighting a cigarette and taking a deep breath, being Yamamoto's friend is weird. Because, Yamamoto seems to think that they're best friends. And that means that Yamamoto never goes away.

Being best friends mean that when a taxi, a booth, a sofa is too crowded, Yamamoto thinks its okay to let their legs touch, their elbows knock against another to make sure that everyone else is sitting comfortably. Being best friends mean that people automatically think that they're a package-deal. Being best friends means that Yamamoto whispers things to him, clever observations Gokudera previously thought Yamamoto incapable of, into his ears, hot breath on sensitive skin.

If someone had asked Gokudera a few months prior who his best friend was, he would have shouted "The Tenth of course!" and it would've been true.

It's not that Gokudera is any less loyal to the soon-to-be-Vongola leader. But they're famiglia and that's still important, important enough to risk your life, important enough to die for, important enough to live for and important enough that Tsuna is still his number one priority.

But Yamamoto comes right after family, and that's a scary thought to someone who's lived for family their entire life.

Gokudera is torn from his thought when a certain baseball playing idiot plops alongside him, and silently starts gazing at the clouds, letting his shoulder rub Gokudera's.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear…" Gokudera chuckles out loud. Yamamoto looks at him, but doesn't say anything and suddenly Gokudera remembers he shouldn't be so easy with someone who threatens his position as Tsuna's right hand man, even if they're best friends.

"Hey, idiot. Stop touching me with your fucking sweaty shoulder."

Yamamoto laughs and removes his shoulder. He offers an excuse about baseball practice going on longer then usual, but Gokudera is looking at the clouds.

"It looks like a car crash." Gokudera says, pointing out a particulary fluffy cloud, perfect white against blue, blue, blue sky.

Yamamoto squints his eyes seriously. "Nah, it looks like fatty-tuna. And fireworks."

"Fucker." Gokudera offers, but he drops it.

And suddenly, he thinks he hears Tsuna give out a yelp. The half-Italian boy rushes to the side of the roof and looks around with a trained eye. He can't see anything, but he feels nervous, a dog waiting for a tsunami.

Yamamoto snorts and whispers "Arf!" to himself, and grins as he practically can see doggie-ears rotate towards him.

"Hey, idiot! I think the Tenth is in trouble." Gokudera bites his lip, and Yamamoto thinks he looks cute like that, his guard down. Yamamoto shakes himself from that thought process as Gokudera lists off what could've happened to the next Vongola leader. "Aliens, some weird pedophile who looks Japanese kids who are 1/20 Italian, purple cows…."

Yamamoto laughs, at the last one and isn't cowed by the protestations of Gokudera 'My sister could've started experimenting again' and offers a rational explanation. "Hibari-san is here today, isn't he?"

Gokudera groans. "That's worse, you idiot!"

Yamamoto puts an arm around Gokudera's shoulder and is pleased when a fist doesn't land on his face. "Nah, let's go look for him."

They manage to find Tsuna in five minutes, look dazed and bruised but otherwise unharmed. He mutters something about Hibari, being bitten and kisses and the Tenth walks home alone, brushing off Gokudera's worried offers to help him home.

Yamamoto and Gokudera take the train to help out at the sushi shop with his father, who's grown attached to Gokudera.

They're washing dishes (Gokudera's gotten better at that) and Gokudera shivers whenever their hands meet underneath the soapy water (fourteen times).

It's late, and Gokudera is forced by Yamamoto's father to sleep in Takeshi's room, on an extra futon but for some reason the silver-haired boy can't sleep. He feels self-conscious and worries if he's gonna snore.

At 1:47 in the morning, Gokudera decides to 'fuck this' and goes outside to smoke a cigarette.

He enjoys the poison in his lungs and holds it as long as possible, counting the seconds to calm his heart down from something.

Gokudera is scared, because he's only tried to kill the baseball-playing idiot five times today. He's scared because he's never had a best friend before. He's scared because he doesn't know what to do, what to say or how to feel.

But when Yamamoto, rubbing his eyes and still smiling walks outside, Gokudera forgets his fears to scold the taller boy for following him.

And Gokudera forgets to scold him when Yamamoto leans over, and kisses him right while he was shaking ash of his cigarette.

And Gokudera forgets to kill him and instead stands still, frozen like a rabbit in the headlights.

Eventually, he blinks and Yamamoto grins, and touches their foreheads together and says "You taste like dynamite."